["Self Portrait (Variant Color Vers.)" by RFY (HF) - Digital drawing made on my phone.]
I have made a number (or been the victim of a number) of interesting collaborations over the years, (and I'm super cool with that!!! I love seeing what happens when OTHER folks take something I've done and give it their own shake!) I particularly enjoy when people take my simple but ambiguous pieces and run with them, and one of the folks who has done MORE running with my stuff than anyone else is my good friend, Richard O'Brien.
O'Brien, who I share a ton of artwork with, will often take something odd that I've drawn and give it a STORY---HIS interpretation of my scribbles. (There are DOZENS and DOZENS of this collabs on the Primitive Entertainment Workshop! Check 'um out!) Here is a recent example:
This is a piece I drew yesterday. I sent it to O'Brien, and he sent me THIS:
“AZZA”
The alpha and the omega; the yin and the yang,
Azza was a dichotomy: part smile and part fang.
If you are thinking chocolate and peanut butter, you are missing the point;
it is far more than mere Black and White (another Spike Lee joint).
Azza’s ultimate desire was to be a mythological god,
like the god of the sea or the one with the lightning rod.
But there was a problem, as I’m sure you can tell:
Azza extends one hand to heaven and the other to hell.
He is constantly torn between the ice and the fire,
between holy ascension and his sinful, worldly desires.
His extension was wild, immeasurable in breadth;
when he reached for the stars, he also reached a new depth.
But when all hope was lost, he met a wise man,
YFR told him his deification was certain, with a new plan.
Azza and YFR talked the whole, dark night,
until the sun came up and it was ridiculously bright.
An announcement was made on the mythological plane,
Azza will speak, followed by cake, tea, and other issues inane.
Azza stood up, his arms high and low.
He said, “I am the God of Extremes, but there is more you should know:
Extremes are not opposite – they are one in the same.
They are one in the same? They are one and the same.”
“I have spent all my years trying to figure out me,
while the answer was always to be and let be.
Wherever you fall on the scale Z-to-A,
Azza is here to remind you that night is not the opposite of day.”
He finished his speech and cake service began,
and for the first time Azza held the plate with both hands.
So the next time your two minds are at war, remember Azza’s name;
the moon and sun are not opposed, they are one in the same.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Brilliant! I'm always amused by the DEPTH that O'Brien sees in my drawings...even though it's more likely that the depth is in his HEAD than my lines. (Granted, I'm big on symbolism and signs and semiology, but I'm also just making cartoons... Or AM I???)
I love his writing. O'Brien has a Seussian sound quality and a satirical tone...
Oddly, though, he also just likes a good GAG! Here's a piece I drew a few weeks ago:
Here is what O'Brien sent back!
I responded: "I just realized.... This is an EXPENSIVE pay per view! (Probably worth it, if you've got the dough, though...)"
And he answers: "Oh, it will be worth it. People in the front row are advised to bring tarps!"
Most of our collaborations (now-o-days) occur via email because we are both agoraphobic and hate leaving the house, and I feel bad that most of the world will never get to laugh with us! (Sorry suckers!) Maybe we'll publish our emails some day. (But...probably not...)
One more piece I want to share. I have this craggy old cat, Gitzy, who is around 15 or 16 years old. I use her a lot in my artwork, both as inspiration and, occasionally, in photographs.
Mr. O is particularly amused by that cat---who is grouchy looking (and grouchy!) Here, then, is a poem that he sent me TODAY!
“GITZY”
Gitzy is a cynical cat,
don’t ever think twice.
And like the pyramids in Giza,
Gitzy’s peaks number thrice.
Gitzy has opinions,
but you would never know,
because she just watches the world burn
as humans sink to a new low.
In fact, Gitzy relishes your failure,
it’s her addiction to bear:
an internal Gitzy chuckle for your stubbed toe,
an internal cackle for gum in your hair.
But here’s when Gitzy really gets giddy,
What sends her over the moon:
when human rockets explode upon launch,
or when a guy in the news eats his neighbor with a spoon.
I’m sorry, I warned you,
Gitzy’s humor is quite dark.
And she keeps his schadenfreude hidden,
emotionless, like a snaggle-toothed shark.
So, the next time you see her,
no tell in her eyes,
let there be no doubt,
Gitzy awaits your demise.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Classic. Evil has a tooth. (You can't really see it in the photo I included here, but Gitzy has a lower tooth that usually sticks up over her upper lip. Between that and her wideset, sometimes googly wild, eyes, she looks like a Japanese oni beast! It can be somewhat disconcerting to look at her sometimes...
And that was today's post! I love collaborations and remixes and the intertwining of ideas. If you've never tried it, (and you aren't particularly ego-sensitive), I highly recommend the experience! CONNECT! GET IN TOUCH! Help make the world a more interesting place!